US Stocks Up To Kick Off Q3 Higher

The US stock market was up on Friday to kick off the third quarter on a higher note after indices posted major losses in the first half of the year.

The Dow Jones was up 20 points, or 0.07% to 30,795 at 10.08 a.m. EDT (1408GMT). The blue-chip index lost 15.3% in the January-June period of this year.

The S&P rose 6 points, or 0.17%, to 3,791 after diving 20% in the first six months of the year and posting its worst half since 1970.

The Nasdaq added 39 points, or 0.36%, to 11,067. The tech-heavy index plummeted 29.5% in the first half.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 2.3% to 28.05. The 10-year US Treasury yield dove 5.6% to 2.807%.

The dollar index, on the other hand, rose 0.7% to 105.41.

Precious metals slipped with gold losing 0.4% to $1,800 and silver falling 2.8% to $19.7.

Crude prices were up more than 1%. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading at $110.39 for a 1.2% gain, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $107.17 – up 1.3%. -